Baked Asparagus (Cheesy or Not Cheesy)

It's been awhile since I've done a new healthy food post. Between family sickness, pregnancy, morning sickness, and fatigue..plus raising two young boys...I haven't been able to do too much or honestly even cook. When every food turns your stomach, you REALLY don't want to cook. It just doesn't happen. Thankfully, I will be 16 weeks tomorrow, and my nausea is finally settling down, I'm desiring to eat again and LOVING to cook again. I'm even excited to try new foods which shows my energy is coming back! Yippie!!

The funniest part is that I usually can't have dairy. I'm lactose-intolerant. BUT, for some reason during this pregnancy cheese has been one of my top 5 cravings, and I'm actually handling it really well! It's been so fun to eat cheese again!! So, of course I want to cook with cheese a lot while I can still eat it.

One of the grocery stores here had a great sale on asparagus, and since it's usually quite expensive I couldn't pass up the great deal! I bought two bunches and headed home to find a delicious looking recipe...thank you Google. I finally found one with few ingredients, that was quick to make, and easy. Win, win, win. That recipe calls for 2 Tbsp of olive oil and grated parmesan cheese, but I noticed that only 1 Tbsp of olive oil is really needed to make this recipe delicious. Also, I opted for mild cheddar cheese instead of parmesan. My family just prefers it!

I wasn't sure how my family would like the cheese on the asparagus, so I decided to do half with cheese and half without. If you can't eat dairy or you have none in your house, you can just leave the cheese off or use a dairy free shredded cheese. It is so good either way. My two year old actually prefered it without the cheese! The next night I couldn't help myself and made another batch. This time I left the cheese off completely. There were ZERO leftovers. It feels so good to feed vegetables and healthy oils like olive oil to your family.

Baked Asparagus (Cheesy or Not Cheesy)
(Gluten free, can be dairy free, nut free, egg free, Vegetarian)
1 recipe fed my family of 4 (I ate more than a serving, and my picky 4 year old refused to try it...typical haha)
Adapted from Simply Recipes (find original recipe here)

Ingredients

• 1 pound asparagus
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• Ground all natural sea salt (table salt is fine)
• Pure ground black pepper (any ground black pepper is fine)
• A couple handfuls of shredded mild cheddar cheese as desired (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400*F.
2. Break or cut off the hard stringy ends of the asparagus. 
3. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with spray oil to make sure none of the spears will stick.
4. Line the spears on the pan in a row, pour 1/2 Tbs olive oil over half of the spears, and pour the other 1/2 Tbs. of olive oil over the other half. If you don't feel the oil was poured evenly, use the back of your spoon to rub the oil up and down all of the spears to spread it evenly.
5. Sprinkle the sea salt and black pepper over the asparagus equally.
6. If you want to include cheese, grab some of the shredded cheese with your hand and sprinkle over the asparagus. Do this as many times as you need for the spears to be covered (or just cover half of them like I did and leave the rest for a cheese free option). 
7. Bake until the cheese is melted for 8-10 minutes. My oven took 10 minutes exactly, and they were PERFECT!
8. ENJOY and SMILE :)

Creamy Coconut Chocolate Mousse

It's been a while...actually a long while. I haven't posted anything new in 4 months! I'm sorry guys. My sweet little boys got busier and busier, and in turn I also got busier and busier. Ha! During all the busyness, I didn't have a lot of time to try out new dishes or come up with any new recipes. One night out of the blue, though, I was craving chocolate..creamy chocolate, and with a lactose intolerance I couldn't just whip up some pudding (which is FULL of dairy). I grabbed a few things in my pantry and got to work hoping to come up with something delicious that would hit the sweet spot.

It took me a couple of tries, but within 30 minutes I had created a creamy chocolate mousse that even my picky 3.5 year old loved. It was easy, fast, and yummy! With only 3 ingredients, you just can't pass on trying it out!

I use coconut cream from Trader Joes, but since there aren't Trader Joes in every state (like the state I live in) you can also buy full fat coconut milk and place it in the refrigerator overnight. When you are ready to make this Creamy Coconut Chocolate Mousse, pull out the can, open it, and skim the delicious cream off the top. DO NOT SHAKE THE CAN. The coconut water will be left at the bottom of the can, and you can use that for so many things! Coconut water is similar to Gatorade in the ability to hydrate you. It's also good to add to smoothies. The leftover cream can also be kept in a sealed container in the fridge for at least a week to make more mousse later :).

The other two ingredients are unsweetened cocoa powder, which is full of antioxidants and has many of health benefits, and stevia powder, which is a natural sweetener.

This recipe is for 1 serving (1/3 cup), but I like to share it with my kids or double the recipe to share with my husband. It's too fun to watch my kids smile and ask for more with "mmmm" sounds as they are eating something very good for them. You can't beat that!


Creamy Coconut Chocolate Mousse
(gluten free, dairy free, nut free, egg free, refined sugar free, soy free, Vegan, Vegetarian)
Serves 1 (Share with a friend or double or triple the recipe to make more)

Ingredients

• 4 Tbs coconut cream (I use Trader Joes brand)
• 1 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 packets Stevia powder (or 4 tsp of any sweetener)

Directions

1. Place can of coconut cream or full fat coconut milk in the refrigerator the night before you want to make this dessert.
2. The next day, when you are ready to begin, open the can and scoop out 4 Tbs of cream into a food processor. DO NOT SHAKE THE CAN! (Place leftover cream back in the fridge in a sealed container to use again for the next week or so.)
3. Pour the cocoa powder and Stevia on top of the cream. (Feel free to add more sweetener if you have a strong sweet tooth.)
4. Process the ingredients until smooth.
5. Scoop the creamy mousse into a small bowl and enjoy this healthy, smooth dessert.

Nutrition Facts:
Cals-138, Fat-12.5g, Carbs-12g (7g net carbs), Fiber-2g, Sugar-1.5g, Pro-2.5g

Slices of Sweet Potato Heaven

We are a family that loves sweet potatoes. We like them whole, diced, mashed, as fries, or added into any dish. One of the newest ways we enjoy eating this beta carotene vitamin rich food is baked in slices. The outside is slightly crunchy while the inside is delectably soft. It is a sweet side to any meal. Even the kids will like them!

My sweet baby loves these!

It takes a little bit of prep work but not nearly as much time as it takes to make homemade sweet potato fries. It makes up for it by taking less time to bake them then whole potatoes. I always prefer olive oil and cinnamon on mine, but using salt and pepper is another way to make this delicious.

You begin by washing the sweet potatoes and slicing off the end tips. Then slice them into 1-2 inch circles. Cut them too thick, and they will take a long time to cook. Cut them too thin, and they will burn. Try to make each circle about the same amount of thickness or they will cook unevenly, and you will end up with some undercooked or some burned. Not yummy stuff.

Note how all of the slices are about the same thickness.

Next pour 1-2 Tbs. of olive oil on a baking pan and rub it over the entire surface of the pan with a spoon. Use as much as you need to coat the pan with a thin layer of oil. Place the sweet potatoes on top and sprinkle with seasoning of choice. I use cinnamon, but feel free to use any herb or seasoning you like. There is no need to put oil on top of the slices at this time. When they are flipped after 15 minutes, the top side will also be coated with the delicious rich healthy olive oil.

Place pan in the oven at 350*F. After 15 mins, pull out pan and flip potatoes. Put back in oven for 15 more mins. When that time is up, turn heat up to 400*F and roast these slices of sweet potato heaven for 15-20 more mins. This will make the top nice and caramelized. Keep an eye on them after 10 minutes of roasting to prevent burning (some ovens can heat quicker than others). 

This is after flipping them over after the first 15 mins.

Here we have the finished product. Delicious Healthy Happy Eats!

Slices of Sweet Potato Heaven
(Gluten free, dairy free, nut free, egg free, Vegan, Vegetarian)
Serves 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 small children (Use as many sweet potatoes as you need to feed your hungry mouths.)
Adapted from nutritious plate

Ingredients

• 3 sweet potatoes
• 1-2 Tbs olive oil
• Cinnamon (or any seasoning or herb of choice)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350*F.
2. Wash sweet potatoes well, cut off the end tips, and slice into 1-2 inches circles.
3. Pour 1-2 Tbs of olive oil onto a baking pan, and rub it over the entire surface of the pan with a spoon. Use as much as you need to coat the pan with a thin layer of oil.
4. Place the sweet potato slices on top of the oil and sprinkle with seasoning of choice.
5. Put pan into the preheated oven for 15 mins. 
6. Pull the pan out and flip potato slices. Be careful to not burn yourself!
7. Place pan back into the oven for 15 more mins. 
8. Turn up the heat to 400*F for 15-20 more minutes to roast the potatoes. 
9. Keep an eye on them after 10 minutes of roasting to assure they do not burn.
10. Pull the pan out of oven and flip over the slices with cinnamon side up. This makes a beautiful presentation.
11. Let cool for a few minutes since they are VERY hot. Eat and Enjoy!

Please let me know how this recipe worked out for you! I love to read comments and/or suggestions. Feel free to comment on here or on Facebook. Thanks for reading!

Cinnamon Carrot Fries

My last post was about 2 months ago. My household has been SICK off and on since Thanksgiving. It has not been fun. I've been lucky to cook at all, and what I cooked was the quickest, easiest food you can imagine (we had enough Ore-ida sweet potato fries and homemade soup to feed an army!). My family loves the Ore-ida sweet potato fries, but I don't want to give them tooooo many of them. They are definitely healthier than the white potato fries, but still not something I want to serve them on a weekly basis. The last time I posted on here was about Healthy Carrot Fries. Since we are on the up and up from our sickness (at least for the time being), I am pressing full force back toward healthier cooking. I was craving those yummy sweet potato fries, but remembered I had a few organic carrots left in my fridge. YAY! So I decided to make carrot fries, but this time with a sweet twist. I apologize. I did not take a picture before I completely devoured them. :-D

I absolutely love sweet potatoes with cinnamon. While preparing my carrot fries, I had an idea that cinnamon on carrot fries might just be fantastic. So i gave it a try, and they are delicious and yet simple and light. I also tried to forgo the oil and just use spray oil. I wasn't sure if it would work, but it worked just as well! If you have a hankering for fries but don't want the old school salt and pepper fries, I encourage you to try these Cinnamon Carrot Fries!

Updated 1/13/15: added some pictures after making these again. 

The easiest way to cut into 4 sections is to place carrot flat side down to cut.

Prior to cooking

                 

I'm just loving all the cinnamon on these! Cinnamon is so good for you and so are carrots!! (Post cooking)

Cinnamon Carrot Fries
(Gluten free, dairy free, nut free, egg free, Vegan, Vegetarian)

Serves 1 (I made these just for myself today and ate the whole 2 carrots! You can very easily double, quadruple, etc. this recipe to suit the number of people in your family.)

Ingredients

• 2 medium whole carrots
• Spray oil
• Cinnamon

Directions

1. Turn oven on at 400* F.
2. One at a time, peel, chop off top end of carrot, and cut into 4 inch pieces. Throw other end away.
3. Cut each 4 inch piece into 4 long horizontal skinny pieces or 2 long skinny pieces depending on the thickness of the carrot.
4. Place all prepared carrots onto a sprayed baking pan and place them in a single layer. 
5. Spray carrots with the spray oil until well coated. Sprinkle cinnamon over all of the fries. (Add as much or as little as you like. I LOVE cinnamon so mine were covered ;) I probably used a total of 1 Tbs.)
6. Cook for 20 mins on top rack, move onto bottom rack (my lazy way of not having to flip them), and check to make sure they are done. If not ready, cook up to 10 more minutes. Mine were done at 30 minutes total, but all ovens are different. 

Nutrition Facts:

(entire batch)

Cals-69, Fat-0.4g, Carbs-18g, Fiber-7.6, Sugar-6g, Pro-1.4g
(sugar occurring naturally from the carrots)

Healthy Carrot Fries

Last night I wanted something healthy, delicious, and simple but reminded me of comfort food. I found a recipe on Pinterest for carrot fries and got super excited! I had a whole bag of organic carrots I had bought on sale last week, and I needed to eat them pronto. What better way than as fries?! It's a very simple recipe, but the prep work does take some time. I won't lie. My picky 3 year old was reluctant at first, but in the end the 9 month old, 3 year old, hubby, and cook all ate them happily! Please let me know what you think in the comments below!

Sorry not the best picture ever. I took this with my phone before
they were devoured!

Healthy Carrot Fries
(Gluten free, dairy free, nut free, egg free, Vegan, Vegetarian)
Serves 3-4

Ingredients

• 10 large - 12 medium whole carrots
• 1 Tbs. Olive oil (or oil of choice)
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Turn oven on at 400* F.
2. One at a time, peel, chop off top end of carrot, and cut into 4 inch pieces. Throw other end away.
3. Cut each 4 inch piece into 4 long horizontal skinny pieces or 2 long skinny pieces depending on the thickness of the carrot.
4. Place all prepared carrots into a ziplock bag, pour in the tablespoon of oil, sprinkle in some salt and pepper and close bag well.
5. Move carrots around and rub all the delicious oil and seasonings as evenly as possible.
6. Spray oil onto a baking sheet, dump carrots, and move them into a single layer on the pan. 
7. Cook for 20 mins on top rack, move onto bottom rack (my lazy way of not having to flip them) for 10 minutes. Check to make sure they are done. If not ready, cook up to 10 more minutes. Mine were done at 30 minutes total, but all ovens are different. 
8. You can serve with the ketchup recipe given in the original recipe or enjoy plain or with regular ketchup. All ways were amazing!

Totally Simple Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken

Things have gotten REALLY crazy in my home lately! We had family visiting for 3 weeks, a birthday party for my oldest son, and my baby has become extremely active. Life as we know it....has changed forever! For this reason, I am going to make my blog post a lot more simple. I probably won't have much time to come up with my own stuff, but I will continue to share recipes that I have adapted. I really enjoy helping others out with meal ideas (especially healthy and SUPER SIMPLE ones!), and it also gives me a great way to save my own favorite recipes (just in case Pinterest ever crashes..hey..you never know).

I found this Totally Simple Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken on Pinterest. You can see the original posting here. I absolutely LOVE this recipe, and so has everyone else that has ever eaten it. It was a hit with toddlers, husbands, girlfriends, guy friends, and me! Plus, it is dairy free, gluten free, crock pot friendly (which means minimal prep and you can leave the house while it cooks!), egg free, nut free, and delicious. I would even bet that you could use all the ingredients for this and make it with tofu for a Vegetarian friendly dish. Hmmm.. I must try that soon!

Totally Simple Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken
(Can be gluten free, dairy free, egg free, nut free)
Makes 10 pieces

Ingredients

• 5 pieces of boneless skinless chicken thigh
• 5 pieces of boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1/2 cup soy sauce (use wheat free if avoiding gluten)
• 1/2 cup honey, maple syrup, pancake syrup, or sugar free syrup
• 2-3 Tbs minced garlic

Directions

1. Spray bottom of crock pot with olive oil spray (or oil of choice).
2. Place all pieces of chicken in the crock pot in one layer (all touching the bottom of the pot). I like to arrange them sporadically to get some of the thigh flavor into the breasts.
3. Evenly pour 1/2 cup soy sauce over the meat.
4. Evenly pour 1/2 cup honey or syrup on top of the soy sauce.
5. Drop 2-3 Tbs of minced garlic onto the chicken and then spread evenly over the chicken with a spoon. 
6. Turn crock pot on low heat for 3 hours.
7. Flip chicken and cook on low heat for 2 more hours.
8. Enjoy with rice and veggies on the side. 

Option 1: Steamed rice with steamed veggies on top (all made in a rice cooker). The easiest and quickest way to make this a full meal. 

Option 2: Make fried rice and stir-fry veggies to make the meal a little more exciting :)

Notes:

If you will not be home at the time the chicken should be flipped, it is perfectly fine to just set the crock pot for 5 hours on low and leave it. I just like to flip it half way to make sure every inch of the chicken gets soaked in the juice. If low on time, you can also cook on high for 2-3 hours. 

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Homemade Dark Chocolate

Last week a wonderful thing happened to me! I was browsing Pinterest (have I ever mentioned how much I am thankful for Pinterest??) and found an amazing recipe. It is a 3 ingredient, no cook, takes 5 minutes to prep recipe for HOMEMADE dairy and gluten free dark chocolate! *Claps hands and jumps up and down excitedly* :)

I. Love. Chocolate. A Lot. When I realized how much dairy negatively affected my body, I thought I could never have chocolate again. BUT then I learned about the wonderfulness of dark chocolate. Growing up we never had dark chocolate in the house. This was all before the huge dark chocolate craze began. Before all the health benefits were made known to the world. Before it was made clear how much healthier dark chocolate is than it's sugar filled companions. It took some time before I fell in love with the rich, dark smoothness and prefered it over the milk filled sweeter kind, but once I fell... I fell hard. I would never go back to milk chocolate even if I could. I typically choose the 60%-70% darkness as it's not quite so slap-you-in-the-mouth dark but just right.

You can find the original recipe here. Please check her out and give her some love! There are a handful of bloggers that I usually follow and find tons of great recipes I can incorporate into my diet. This was the first time I had ever come upon this website, and I have to confess I'm really excited to poke around more to see what delicious goodies I can find. I basically used her recipe but changed a couple small details, so all credit goes to her!

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Homemade Dark Chocolate
(Gluten free, dairy free, egg free, nut free, grain free, refined sugar free, Vegetarian, can be Vegan if not using honey)
Makes 12 pieces

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
• 2-3 Tbs sugar free pancake or maple syrup, regular pancake or maple syrup, or honey

Directions

1. Put all ingredients into a small bowl and stir together until smooth and no lumps remain.
2. Pour mixture into a mold, ice cube trays, or even into a mini cupcake pan. (I got my mold at Ikea. If you do not live near an Ikea, you can also get them on ebay. Look here for some options.)
3. Place immediately into freezer.
4. Once chocolate is hardened, pop out of container and place in a freezer bag. Best stored in the freezer.

Notes

-When these first reach their hardened state, they are a darker brown color, but the longer they stay in the freezer they become lighter brown. This does not affect the taste at all. They are still just as rich and delightful!

-If these are not sweet enough for you, feel free to add some stevia or other sweetener of choice to your preference.

-This chocolate has a mild coconut taste, but it is not overwhelming.

-Coconut oil can be pricey, but if you buy it online and use it wisely it can be a great addition to your pantry!

-As with all foods, consume in moderation. Cocoa and Coconut oil in excess can cause some stomach issues.

Nutrition Facts:

(per piece with 3 Tbs sugar free pancake syrup)

Cals-60, Fat-6.4g, Carbs-1.3g, Pro-0.4g

(per piece with 2 Tbs. honey)

Cals-69, Fat-6.4g, Carbs-4.2g, Sugar-2.8g. Pro-0.5g